A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Communion

Is the Bible a humorous book? Probably most people wouldn’t think of it as being funny at all. Even as the Bible is regarded as the Word of God, we find considerable ungodly human activity, immorality, wars, rebellion, murder, adultery, demon possession, and just about every other facet of what we call the human condition. Yes, the Bible is full of some pretty serious and heavy stuff. In spite of all this, is there a remote possibility we might discover something amusing, something to bring a smile on our face, something that might even cause us to laugh? Author Dale Stanton says, “Yes!” In his book, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Communion, Dale explores some of the subtle, camouflaged, and elusive gems of humor in the Bible that don’t exactly leap out at you as one would find in a comic strip or a TV sitcom. These hidden treasures of humor come alive in the biblical characters themselves, revealed in all their human quirks, foibles, and idiosyncrasies, which remind us that, in many ways, these biblical personalities are just like us. Referring to many of the Scripture lessons that are read in church on Sunday morning, Dale, in his tongue-in-cheek style, brings to life this collection of inconspicuous and sometimes wry nuggets of humor that might just make you laugh.

Have you felt failure in forgiving? Do you know how your justices and legislators should be acting upon critical decisions affecting the family? Does your marriage need a boost? Or, even your divorce? Would you like to know more about how to please God and support your friends in marital status? Have other authors avoided the controversial issues from the Bible? Perhaps you need a little help identifying and using your spiritual gift. Do a few passages of Scripture completely baffle you? Mr. Morris' walk through his Bible studies will surely help you in one or more of your challenges. Why not take your "walk" with him? Mr. Morris was saved as a 7-year-old. He felt the call to preach as an 11-year-old. He became a pretty serious Bible student right after salvation, and felt that desire grow for years. He graduated from Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene, TX, with a major in Bible. He then spent most of his elective credits in pursuit of the New Testament as he earned a Master of Divinity at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, TX. He served 27 months in the US Army. He retired from the pastorate after 1-1/3 years as assistant to the pastor and almost 29 years as senior pastor of four other churches. Whether in school, in pastoral ministry, in secular work, or in retirement, Bible reading and Bible study remain an important part of his life. He lives in retirement in Abilene, Texas, with his wife of 52 years, Betty Martin Morris. They have three children, seven grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. Among other pursuits, he is at work on his second book, a Commentary on Romans and his next book on additional Biblical issues.

Nineteen side-splitting stories from sri lanka to begin this chronicle of the funny things that have happened to him, muller goes back to his days as a recruit in the royal ceylon navy when the queen of england came a-visiting: the saucy sailors decide to tip her a wink! the second story takes us back to mullers childhood in anuradhapura where two visiting rat snakes turn out to be a railway linesmans grandparents there are further hilarious adventures in the navy, encounters with more snakes of different sizes and lineage, graphic descriptions of jam-making factories, and hazardous days in the gulf effortlessly, muller creates caricatures that leave you helpless with laughter as they highlight the follies and foibles of the human race.

Ever been chased by a jealous husband swinging an axe? Or had your shoelaces and socks chewed by a cheetah while you couldn't move? What about having a doctor pass out beside you while he was delivering your child? If your answers are no, then you are lucky. If you want to find out how someone survived these wild and crazy adventures, read this book! The light-hearted autobiography of Hugh MacDonald recounts the laughable and unusual adventures and misadventures of a budding concert pianist, a minister of one of Canada’s largest churches, a college professor, a radio talk-show host, a Paris tour guide, and a civil marriage commissioner. MacDonald tells of being carried down a main street in Montreal completely naked; walking a marathon with raw eggs squishing in his boots; being forced to eat beef stew, well-flavoured with cat hair; inadvertently buying 3,125 condoms in preparation for his wedding; being marooned and coming close to death in a Northern Ontario blizzard; and so much more! MacDonald winds these yarns into an interesting account of his long and varied life. This book can be read in one sitting, or you can savour it as bedtime reading, enjoying one or two funny stories each night. Either way, you can’t go wrong with this humorous telling of MacDonald’s life.

Me?!? Go to church? Lightning will strike me dead! Me?!? Homeless? Jobless? How did this happen? Me?!? Give money to the church? They are just after my money! Me?!? Go back to school? Become a CPA? I'm over 40! Me?!? Tithe? I give enough! Me?!? Date? How could I ever trust a man again? Me?!? Write a book? I'm a CPA for Heaven's sake! Me?!? Witness? People will think I'm strange! Author Patricia Coury Hartman is, of all things, a CPA. She always sees the lighter side of life, even though she has been through some very deep painful times, including divorce and parenting alone. Her smile and her laughter brighten any room. Her humility shows through in her writing, as she shares transparently how she got to where she is today. She has a gift of taking the complex and making it simple. Her journey has taken her from: [Runaway to Home Again [Liberal to Conservative [Atheist to Christian [Single Mom to Married [Empty Nester [Rebellion to Contentment [Broke to Financially Stable [Bus Driver to CPA [Homeless to Homeowner [Proud to Humble [Lost to Found [Sinner to... well... Grab a cup of coffee and a box of tissues and head for the easy chair. Get ready for times of laughter, reflection and joy...

This book is written with no other agenda than to simply entertain the reader. In the truest definition of the word it is not an autobiography; it is a collection of short stories that have happened in the lives of Arnold & Joy Lastinger in over 50 years of ministry. You may laugh; you may cry. But, you will enjoy reading about how the marvelous grace of a loving Lord has carried this couple through 50 years of ministry together. Some of the stories are too fantastic to be believeable. But, every one of them is true. Brace yourself for an enjoyable read!